The Professional Fighters League announced the launch of PFL MENA. The promotion’s second global league kicks off in April of this year.
PFL MENA introduces a four-event sport-season format showcasing the region’s top fighters in collaboration with SRJ Sports Investments. The full league roster is to roll out in the coming weeks. This new tendril of the company is a milestone in PFL’s expansion strategy and continues growth already had there in that region of the world.
PFL MENA
CEO of SRJ Sports Investment, Danny Townsend said:
“The launch of the PFL MENA League is another incredible milestone for the sport of MMA, and one we are delighted to play a role in. Saudi Arabia is quickly emerging as the international home of combat sports; bringing world-class talent here and to the wider MENA region remains at the core of SRJ’s investment mandate.””With the launch of a new PFL MENA League, we’re backing the development of the region’s exceptional talent, helping provide new pathways to the top. We are confident that investments like these will continue inspiring even more young people to take up sport and help grow the MMA fanbase on a global scale.”
PFL CEO Peter Murray stated,
“We are excited to announce the PFL’s second international league with our partners SRJ. Driven by the strategic importance of mixed martial arts in burgeoning markets, SRJ’s investment underscores the immense potential of the sport in the region. PFL MENA expands the PFL brand and MMA footprint in the Middle East bringing events to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the wider region.”
Jerome Mazet, General Manager of PFL MENA, quipped,
“We’re very excited to be launching PFL MENA and providing up-and-coming athletes from The Middle East a global platform for them to be able to showcase their skills and potentially compete for a life-changing opportunity at a PFL Championship and a million-dollar purse. Through PFL MENA, we hope to be able to not only find and develop the next Middle Eastern MMA star, but we also want to be able to put the spotlight on MMA in the region and give it the attention and the exposure that it deserves.”
PFL vs Bellator
This announcement has a localized connection and comes amid the company’s massive cross-promotional MMA event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. PFL vs Bellator went down on February 24th and showcased several champions and former title contenders.
Saudi Arabia native Abdullah Al-Qahtani earned a massive win on this event. The kickoff PFL MENA season features 32 fighters over four weight classes in the familiar sports-season format the organization utilizes with a regular season, playoffs, and then the championship. The league will also feature fights outside of the tournament framework to spotlight some of the top regional talents.
The relatively recently signed Hattan Alsaif is the first woman combatant from Saudi Arabia to ink a deal with a massive international company. She is set to embark on her amateur PFL debut and this will be an example of some of the non-tournament fights on those looming events.
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